TRAVEL UPDATES ON SINGAPORE, JAPAN, AND KOREA

TRAVEL UPDATES ON SINGAPORE, JAPAN, AND KOREA

The Philippines is not the only country affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our neighbors all over Asia have also closed their borders to the rest of the world, leaving many travelers cancelling their trips. But soon, everything will be back to normal, and we can finally board a plane again to our next adventure. Did you have something planned recently for places like Singapore, Japan, or Korea? Read on to know what's been happening in these countries and see if traveling there will be a possibility soon or not.

SINGAPORE

According the visitsingapore.com, tourists from other countries are not allowed to enter Singapore as of March 23, 2020. Like many countries. Singapore is facing the same issues: It was reported that they have 47 new COVID-19 cases resulting to a total of 926. However, the Singaporean government was able to do their part in "flattening the curve" as far as managing the crisis is concerned. With Singapore's smaller size and population, we wouldn't be surprised if they will be one of the countries that will normalize first compared to the rest of Asia.

JAPAN

Japan has suspended the processing of visas from selected countries in Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia (the Philippines included), which is expected to last until the pandemic ends. Some of the tourist attractions such as Tokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan have been temporarily closed until April but have already been extended all the way to the middle of May. But its biggest story so far is the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to July 2021. With the country's strict policies, it may take some time for Japan to fully open its doors again to tourists, but it could happen earlier than expected considering its reliance on tourism to boost the economy.

SOUTH KOREA

As of March 30, 2020, South Korea has recorded 9,661 COVID-19 cases including 158 deaths that began in January 20, 2020. South Korea used to be the second most infected country in the world, but its government was able to control the outbreak and has effectively lessened the number of confirmed cases compared to the previous months. With no travel ban or lockdown implemented, the country is still open for visitors, under the condition that they will undergo quarantine for 14 days. Like Singapore, it is expected that things will get better in South Korea in record time.